The Gaslamp Quarter has had many guises over its long history, but on Saturday, March 15 it’ll take on one of its most dramatic (and temporary).

That afternoon and evening, the Gaslamp becomes a chunk of imported Ireland–with all the music, dancing, and general liveliness you’d expect for an incomparable celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.

The Sofia Hotel can be your gateway for this year’s shamROCK festival, a can’t-miss event that ranks as perhaps the West Coast’s biggest outdoor jubilee.

The Details

This is the 19th go-round for shamROCK, brought to you by Jameson and the Field. It’s a feast for the eyes alone: The Gaslamp Quarter’s historic streets will transform into the dreamlike greens of the Irish countryside courtesy of a whopping 80,000 square feet of Astroturf.

The shamROCK festival commences at 4 p.m. on the 15th and runs until midnight–and you can be sure revelers will fill that block of time to the fullest.

A 150-foot Irish pub will help get your jubilant spirit flowing with an ample supply of green-hued beer and Jameson Irish Whisky. Along with topnotch DJs, numerous bands–among them the Shoe Scene Symphony, Tuff Turf, and the Shamrockers–will take to three different stages, getting the Gaslamp to its feet with the irresistible tempos of Irish music, from traditional jigs to hearty punk foot-stompers.

You can be among the 20,000 attendees celebrating Ireland’s foremost patron saint in the kind of style that would do the Emerald Isle proud.

Until March 7, tickets to the shamROCK festival are $30 for general admission and $75 for VIP. Between the 8th and the 14th, general admission and VIP tickets are $40 and $75, respectively; day-of entry is $45 for general admission and $85 for VIP.

Saint Patrick’s Day at the Sofia

You’re just blocks from the Gaslamp Quarter–and that rousing, evening-long slice of Irish spirit–when you stay at the Sofia Hotel, conveniently located in downtown San Diego. Come stay with us for the party–you’ll easily be able to take public transportation or walk the distance so you can party safely and responsibly.

Don’t settle for just any old Saint Patrick’s Day party: Take part in the next best thing to a trip to Ireland with San Diego’s exuberant shamROCK!

Image: zoonabar